1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a provisional prosthetic system and the surgical methods for utilizing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prostheses are commonly utilized to repair and/or replace damaged bone and tissue in the human body. For example, a knee prosthesis may be implanted to replace damaged or destroyed bone in the tibia and/or femur and to recreate the natural, anatomical articulation of the knee joint. To implant a prosthesis, orthopedic surgery is performed which requires the creation of an incision in the skin of the patient and may necessitate the retraction of surrounding tissue to provide the surgeon with access to the surgical site.
To facilitate the implantation of a prosthesis, modular prostheses may be utilized. Modular prostheses have several individual, distinct components which are connected together to form the final, implanted prosthesis. Additionally, one component, i.e., a tibial plate in a modular tibial prosthesis system, may be selected from several different tibial plate components having various configurations, all of which are included in the modular prosthesis system. By selecting the tibial plate that best accommodates the individual patient's anatomy, the surgeon may assemble a prosthesis that more closely approximates the patient's anatomy.
In addition to the final, implanted components of a modular prosthesis system, a modular prosthesis system may also include trial or provisional components which replicate the size and shape of the final, implanted components of the modular prosthesis system. The use of provisional components provides the surgeon with the ability to test the ultimate configuration of the prosthesis prior to the implantation of the final components. By trialing, i.e., testing, the surgeon is able to determine whether that the fit, alignment, and range of motion provided by the final prosthesis will approximate the patient's natural anatomy.